


The Muggleborn Ghost

by Zeldapotter29



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alyssa is the ghost counselor of Hogwarts, Book 1: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Hurt/Comfort, No pairings - Freeform, OC-centric, These children are too young for that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:01:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27661048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeldapotter29/pseuds/Zeldapotter29
Summary: Alyssa Clark dies on the same day as the Bones family and in the same neighborhood. Left in ghost form, she now roams the halls of Hogwarts, keeping an eye out for Susan Bones, the only survivor of the attack, who she now sees as her responsibility. After with coming to terms with her death, Alyssa makes it her job to console and protect those who are lost, broken, and afraid. Harry has messed up relatives, Ron has an inferiority complex, Hermione is bullied for her blood and the color of her skin, Neville is never seen as good enough, Susan has nightmares about the attack on her parents, the Weasley Twins are the failures of the family, and many children of Death Eaters are subject to ridicule by fellow students or by their own parents through various forms of abuse at home. There are many problems here at school, and no matter how hard Alyssa tries to stop them, the Golden Trio always seems to be at the center of it.





	1. The Attack

**Author's Note:**

> I am well aware the Bones' died when Susan was a baby. I'm just taking some artistic liberties in this particular story and having them die when Susan is 10. Not everything has to be cannon.

A girl of seventeen years lay quietly in her bed as she read A Standard Book of Spells: Grade 7 by the light of a flashlight. She frowned, running the tip of her quill along her lower lip in concentration. This year would be NEWT year. The sooner she started studying, the better, but she still didn't understand what she was reading. The girl, Alyssa Clark, groaned in frustration, falling back onto her pillow with a huff, the book falling to the floor with a soft thud.

Suddenly she jumped as the streetlight outside her window flickered out. Ever the curious type, she slid out of bed to peer out. Her eyes widened as she saw two hooded figures making their way soundlessly across the front yard. She looked closer and her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach as she saw wands clutched in their hands.

Death Eaters.

Alarm surged through her as she fumbled about her darkened room for her wand. Her home on Acre Drive was an almost entirely Muggle area except for the Bones' house on the far end of the street. The Death Eaters must have come for them for information, killing all the Muggles in the neighborhood on the way. Well, I won't let them. She thought, straightening up, wand in hand. Not while I'm still living! A loud bang sounded downstairs as the door was blasted off its hinges. She heard her father's footsteps on the stairs as he rushed down to confront the intruders. She threw her door open. No no no this could not be happening….

"Who are you? What do you want?" Her father demanded.

Alyssa ran down the stairs after him, wand drawn. "Papa don't! It's the Death Eaters!"

But her warning came too late. A jet of green light shot across the room and struck her father directly in the chest and he crumpled to the ground.

Alyssa let out a cry of anguish, turning her wand on the Death Eater who had killed him and sending a Bone Shattering curse at his head. The tall man dodged the spell and sent more in her direction.

The next few moments were a blur, but when it had ended, one of the dark pair was on the ground, and her mother's corpse lay prone next to her father's, a victim of one of the brute's cutting curses. Tears blurred Alyssa's eyes as she fought off the remaining Death Eater, not knowing whom she was fighting for anymore. Herself? The other people in her neighborhood? Not for herself, surely. Both her parents were dead. She was all alone in the world now. They were the only family she'd had left. What else was there for her now?

Then perhaps it was for the little boys that ran about on the playground, for the kind Mrs. Patmore across the street who always stopped to say hello every morning as she walked her dog, and for the kind old Mr. Marley next door who worked tirelessly on his flower garden until it rivaled that of the queen.

A thought struck her as she continued to fight.

The two had been seen coming from the eastern side of the road.

If they were breaking into Muggle homes one by one, the little boys were probably dead in their beds; precious young lives gone forever from the world all too soon.

Her eyes narrowed as she faced off against the remaining Death Eater. This man had killed children. Innocent children. Children she had known since they were two. Children who made cookies in the kitchen with her whenever she babysat. Her normally kind disposition shattered as she screamed, "Crucio!"

The man cackled at her feeble attempt at the Unforgivable spell and ducked almost lazily under it, sending a volley of cutting curses her way. Alyssa ducked around one spell, two, three, four, five-

An invisible sword slashed deep into her neck, the blow sending her flying into the wall. She slid to the floor, dazed, pressing a hand to the wound. She stared down at her hand, crimson with blood, uncomprehendingly. She knew no spells to heal a gash this deep. Her vision was growing hazy. Was this how she was going to die? All alone in her own house with her parents' bodies around her and not even her cat left alive?

The Death Eater above her smiled cruelly, turning on the spot and striding from the house, his work done. He stood proudly on her doorstep screaming out a spell too muffled to her ears for her to understand, sending a sickly evil green into the sky where it remained floating over the now empty houses. Alyssa drew one last shuddering breath, a tear rolling silently down her face, and everything was gone.

8-8-8-8-8-8

Alyssa opened her eyes blearily and looked around her, confused. The house was still in shambles and her parents lay dead on the floor. The past events hit her head like a Bludger. She had been hit with a cutting curse…. She must have passed out from blood loss. But the curse had slit her throat! How was she alive? She turned around.

There lay her body, prone on the floor; blood no longer dripping from her neck, there was already too much of it oozing into the white carpet, blue eyes glassy and unseeing, face pale as a ghost's.

She gasped, staring down at her hands; no it wasn't her face that was ghostly, it was she that was standing there now that was a ghost. Her hands were transparent and cloudy, the blood on the floor clearly seen through them. It was all too much for Alyssa's newly incorporeal form to handle. She floated to the floor, drawing her knees to her chest, her head in her arms.

She was all alone.

Her parents were in the afterlife and she was left behind.

Soft sobs began to push their way from her lips as she sat on the ground, echoing strangely as they left her mouth as if she were standing in a tunnel. What was she going to do? What was she going to do? She closed her eyes tight as if somehow she might be dreaming all this. It would be all right when she woke up. She repeated it over and over like somehow it might break this curse that she must be under, this illusion cast by the Death Eaters before they left.

It would be all right when she woke up.

It would be all right….

It wouldn't.

8-8-8-8-8-8

It was several hours later when Alyssa found the will to move again. She had to report the attack immediately. No, she shook her head, she was a ghost. She couldn't use the Floo Network. She got up and began pacing -or rather floating back and forth over the ground- deep in thought. She began to panic, all the possibilities going over in her head, rushing past her like memories forced to the front of the mind by Occlumency. More than anything, she was unnerved and panicked because she couldn't feel her heart beating or her breath becoming faster out of this fear of hers.

She stopped pacing, smacking herself in the face. No, of course she couldn't feel that. Her heart wasn't beating anymore. She was dead. Dead people couldn't breathe. She huffed, closing her eyes, trying to bring herself out of her haze. She was dead. She was still…. "alive"... for a reason, so she had to do something with this undead life of hers. She opened her eyes, a mission clear in her mind: first she would look for survivors.

Alyssa looked into every house in the neighborhood, the sun finally beginning to rise over the trees as she reached the end of the block and still not a single survivor had been found.

The two boys lay together on the floor, one in front of the other, clearly having died trying to protect his brother, both their eyes open in horror. Mrs. Patmore lay peacefully on her bed, her body cold, but a small smile on her face all the same. Alyssa found herself smiling at the thought that at least the old lady had died while asleep instead of in fear like the household before. Mr. Marley's garden was ruthlessly trampled, the stems broken, petals scattered about, and the door to the back shed hanging by one hinge, years of tireless work gone in one night. She peered inside to find him lying on the ground still in his gardening overalls and turned away, unable to see any more.

She took a final look at the garden as she left, and found three slightly trampled flowers left mostly untouched. His prize winning roses. They were the only ones that looked only slightly broken. She brushed a transparent hand against the petals, and to her joy, they moved under her touch. She could still interact with the mortal world. Now that she knew that, she couldn't leave this place without leaving a tribute. She scooped up the roses with gentle hands as if holding a wounded animal and laid them to rest on Mr. Marley's chest and closed his eyes with two fingers. She whispered a silent prayer over the place before she left for the next house. She would watch over this world until the time of the Death Eaters had ended. Only then would she rest.

At the end of the street was the Bones' safehouse. They were likely dead just like all the rest. She frowned. She couldn't leave the house unchecked just because of her own despair. She had to make sure no one had hidden out of sight waiting to be found. Drawing her courage, she drifted down the front walk and through the front door. As soon as she set foot in the house, she was glad she hadn't skipped it. Sobbing could be heard from the sitting room. She floated through the wall and her eyes met a sad sight.

Both the Bones' were dead on the ground. There was clear sign of a struggle, with blood spattered onto the walls and a broken wand in the corner of the room. A young girl with long red hair was sobbing into her dead mother's chest that lay silent with one leg bent at an odd angle.

Alyssa came soundlessly closer, resting an ice-cold hand on the girl's shoulder, trying to be gentle so as not to startle her. However, as soon as the girl felt her, her head jerked up in alarm, and she threw herself across her mother's unmoving chest. Alyssa raised her transparent hands to show she was not a threat, and the girl's gaze softened as she realized the intruder was completely see-through.

"You're a ghost?" She asked shakily, wiping her eyes on her wrists.

"Yes. Looks to be that way. Are you all right?" Alyssa inwardly winced. That was a stupid question. The girl clearly wasn't all right and neither was she. They had both seen their parents die tonight.

The girl nodded. "I'm ok, but Ma and Pa are gone!"

Alyssa floated to the ground beside her and put an arm around her, focusing on her magic to try and make herself just a little warmer so that she didn't make the girl feel like she'd been dunked in ice water. "Mine are gone too. I lost them tonight just like you did."

"How'd you die?"

This would have been a rather innocent question had the girl asked one of the Hogwarts ghosts. To a newly departed soul, not so much. Alyssa tried not to wince at the question and took a deep breath. "I- My house was attacked just down the road from yours and I tried to protect my parents. I managed to hold them off for a while, but eventually I started getting tired and they sent a bunch of different curses my way all at once and I just wasn't quick enough."

The girl looked down sadly for a moment, "Are you sad?"

"Yes."

"Are you scared?"

"A little."

"Me too."

Alyssa pulled the girl close, her little body going through the front of her chest, "What's your name, love?"

"Susan."

"I'm Alyssa."

The two sat in silence for a while, comforting one another, until a thought struck Alyssa. She couldn't Floo to the Ministry to alert them, but Susan could.

"Susan?"

"Yeah?"

"Does your sitting room have any Floo powder left?"

The girl dried her eyes with a sniffle, "Yeah."

"Ok. I need you to Floo to the Ministry where your Auntie Amelia works and tell her what happened."

Susan nodded and got up, taking the pot of Floo powder from the mantelpiece and walking into the fireplace. It was then that she noticed that Alyssa hadn't grabbed any. "What about you?"

Alyssa shook her head. "I'm a ghost, sweetheart, I can't use the Floo like you can. Just promise to come back for me, all right?"

"Okay." Said Susan. She dropped her handful of Floo powder into the flames. "The Head office of the DMLE!"

The flames flared, and she was gone.

Alyssa floated up from the floor and into the dining room where the bodies were out of eyesight and sat down at one of the chairs to wait. It didn't take long before the fireplace began flaring up again bringing Susan, a pale Amelia Bones, a grave Albus Dumbledore, and several Aurors. She floated back into the sitting room where the bodies were.

Director Bones' eyes filled with tears as she beheld the sight of two members of her family on the floor. She forced her eyes away, trying her best to be professional about the matter, but clearly failing. Auror Tonks regarded Alyssa sadly. Alyssa remembered the young woman graduating Hogwarts the year before. Her normally bright pink hair was currently a mousy brown in sadness. Professor Dumbledore regarded the scene similarly. Both she and the Bones' had been his students after all.

Alyssa stayed out of the way as they took care of the bodies, cleaned the room, and arranged funeral matters. Finally, Amelia turned to her. She inclined her head, looking pained at the sight of the gash on Alyssa's silvery neck. "I- I'm sorry we did not get here in time to save your life Miss Clark."

Alyssa smiled sadly and shook her head. "No need to apologize. I did the best I could. I just wasn't quick enough."

The last remaining Bones nodded, sucking in a sharp breath, trying to calm down. Kingsley put a hand on her shoulder as he passed murmuring comfortingly in her ear. She caught a few words, "we'll take care of it." "go home" "Check up on you later"

Madam Bones nodded and drew herself up and left through the Floo, her handkerchief flying to her face just before the flames took her, not wanting her grief to get in the way of the investigation.

Kingsley sighed, turning to Alyssa and speaking in his low, rumbling voice. "Are there any survivors in the neighborhood that you know of?"

Alyssa shook her head. "None except Susan ma'am. I checked."

"I'm sorry you had to see that." Kingsley sighed, looking down to where Susan clung to her, unlikely to let go anytime soon. "I'm sorry both of you had to go through that."

Dumbledore strode forward, "Miss Clark, I regret to inform you that there is no way for us to send your spirit to rest with your parents until whatever purpose your spirit had by staying here is finished. You can join the ghosts of Hogwarts until then if you wish."

Alyssa sighed sadly as she realized she would be unable to join her parents but nodded. That was what she had expected to happen, but that hadn't stopped her from hoping all the same. "Thank you Professor Dumbledore."

Dumbledore stood back, levitating a teakettle from the kitchen cabinet into the room and touched it with his wand, saying the Portkey spell, as well as another spell Alyssa did not know. He placed the kettle on the coffee table. "This will send you to Hogwarts, Miss Clark."

Alyssa reached out a silver hand but faltered. "Sir, I thought ghosts couldn't travel like living people can? They can't interact with magical things."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Ah, you are partially correct Miss Clark, but if that were entirely true then how could Peeves still be dropping Dungbombs in the hallways every year?"

Alyssa smiled softly at that before gliding to the coffee table where the kettle sat. She turned back towards Susan one last time as Tonks led her away and gave her a comforting smile before placing her hand on the Portkey and disappearing from the house.


	2. New Year, New Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alyssa settles in at Hogwarts and meets the new first years.

September 1st could not come fast enough for Alyssa. Sure, getting to know the other ghosts was an interesting and fun experience, and she had gotten to say hello to all her Professors as they were preparing lesson plans. (All except for Snape, who accepted her greeting but shooed her away rather quickly before returning to his papers, muttering about "Hufflepuff dunderheads") But the castle just didn't feel the same without the hustle and bustle of students in the hallways and in the dormitories. For now, she had amused herself by reading in the library and talking and playing with the other ghosts.

Nearly Headless Nick "I prefer Sir Nicholas de Mimsy" was always good for a chat. Ghostly humor took some getting used to, however. Having been dead for only two months, it was still rather strange for Alyssa to hear about death in such a casual manner, but she supposed for one such as Nick, who had been dead for centuries now, it probably came as second nature. She gave her best effort every day in trying to accept her death for what it was in the same way he always did. However, whenever he bemoaned the fact that he had been denied a place in the Headless Hunt yet again that year, she just tuned him out and nodded.

The Grey Lady, although quite shy at first, was a very kind woman, and for a ghost she had known so little about before, Alyssa found she quite enjoyed her company. The two had made a game out of their visits, with Alyssa having to solve the riddle at the Ravenclaw doorknocker before floating through the door to greet the woman.

The Fat Friar, her house ghost, was very understanding of her new predicament and was quite happy to tell her all the ins and outs of being a ghost. He always popped in to check on her every morning by floating through the seventh year dormitory walls with a jovial hello. She had a few rounds of chess with him and found out he was rather dreadful at it, but he never complained no matter how many times she beat him. ("You're getting quite good at this my dear! I believe you beat me in under five minutes that time!") He also comforted her on the day she realized she would never be able to truly enjoy a Hogwarts feast the same way ever again, nodding and saying he had felt the same way after he had died.

The Bloody Baron, despite his rather gruesome appearance, was a surprisingly nice fellow. Sure, he was a bit strict and a little moody at times with a well-known temper to boot, but as long as you didn't anger him, he was all right to be around. He helped her to complete her summer homework -although he didn't really see the point- and made History thousands of times more interesting than Binns ever had. When she asked why he hadn't taken the post he shrugged and said, "I didn't want the younger years to be frightened away from history class altogether."

Apparently, he was a bit more bothered by his appearance than she had previously thought. She had talked to him quietly for a while, telling him that once people got to know him like she did, they wouldn't be quite so scared. He still refused the post, however, because whenever she tried he would say, his chains clinking about as he shook his head, "Miss Clark I appreciate the vote of confidence but I must decline. Professor Binns was a rewound historian in his time and my teachings would not come close to his." She had tried telling him many times that Binns seemed to be permanently stuck on repeat on Goblin Wars, and was getting increasingly duller with each passing year, but he refused to listen.

She managed to help out Moaning Myrtle just a little bit. She had been very lonely all by herself for fifty years with no friends to talk to. She sat on top of the sinks with her for a very long time as the poor girl vented about how much everyone hated her. Alyssa did her best to comfort her and let her cry into her chest. When she put her arms around the younger Hufflepuff, the girl began to wail even louder. Apparently it was the first hug she'd had in a very long time. When Myrtle had cried herself out, Alyssa asked her why she was so sad all the time, and tried to give her a couple of tricks to stay positive. Eventually the girl confessed, to her embarrassment, that she had died while still on her period, which greatly explained her mood swings. "I usually tell people I ran into the stalls because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses, but what really happened was I was outside and had black cloak off because it was hot, and she saw that I had bled through the trousers of my robes. And she laughed at me for it! She didn't even try and help!" She pulled back her cloak and turned around to show the stain.

Alyssa frowned. "That's horrible! All girls have periods and should support each other through them, not tear them down!"

"I know!" Myrtle moaned, burying her head in her hands. "It was so unfair and so embarrassing I threw my cloak on and ran and hid in here so I could cry but-"

"Then you died." Alyssa finished.

Myrtle nodded.

Alyssa was confused. How could a girl die in a bathroom without any visible marks of death on her other than the blood hidden by her cloak? She thought for a minute. Most ghosts considered asking how they died a flattering question, but then again this was Myrtle. She decided to take the leap. "I hope you don't mind me asking but… how did you die?"

To her relief, Myrtle looked flattered. "No one's bothered to ask me that question before in years." She blushed. "I heard someone come into the bathroom, and from the sound of it, it was a boy talking to himself. I had no idea what a boy was doing in my bathroom so at first I stayed hidden, but then he started speaking in some made up language instead, and by then I thought he had gone off his rocker so I unlocked the door to tell him to go away and then…" She paused for dramatic affect, "I died."

Alyssa was left even more confused than when she started. "Um, just like that? How?"

"I just remember these huge yellow eyes." She shuddered. "I prefer not to talk about them. They scared me so. It was quite strange. After I saw them I felt myself floating away."

Alyssa put her chin on her fist in thought and smiled. "That's rather mysterious, huh? You died just by looking it in the eye."

"I know!" Myrtle giggled, twirling about in the air. It was the first time Alyssa had ever seen her so happy. She was glad she brought it up. They debated for a while on what the thing might have been, but ended up unable to find out anything.

After that, the conversation switched to boys. The two girls spent quite a lot of time giggling and blushing silver as they confessed to their crushes over the years. Myrtle finally confessed that she sometimes went through the plumbing to the Prefect's bathroom to watch the boys bathe and the two burst out laughing until the sound echoed off the walls and out into the hallway, sending a confused McGonagall walking in. "What on earth is going on here?"

"Nothing!" The two ghost girls cried in unison, sending them into further giggles.

McGonagall huffed at having been interrupted by a bunch of giggling girls, but a small smile played on the edges of her lips as she walked out the door. After all those years, Myrtle might not feel so lonely anymore. Maybe they wouldn't have to fix the plumbing quite so much this year.

8-8-8-8-8-8

Finally the day came when the students came pouring in. Alyssa was walking with Nick and the Friar at the time, and all three were arguing over whether they should have to put up with Peeves for yet another year.

"I've had him drop way too many Dungbombs on my head when I was alive! He needs to go!" Alyssa said passionately.

"But Miss Clark," smirked the Friar, "I saw you only yesterday conspiring with the poltergeist over how to prank Professor Snape."

Alyssa made no comment.

It was then that they noticed they were no longer alone. The first years had stopped in the middle of the hallway and were staring at them. Many of the Muggleborns looked rather frightened, but some of the Purebloods merely looked amused at the conversation subject. Alyssa waved as the Friar turned jovially to them. "Ah! New students! Hope to see you in Hufflepuff. My old house you know!"

Alyssa shook her head fondly as the Friar floated away. "It's perfectly all right no matter what house you end up in, ok? No matter what rumors you may have heard about the other houses, I want you to throw those out the window and try to have an open mind about this. And don't forget that even if you end up in a different house than your friends, you can always have friends between houses. I had friends in all four when I was alive."

Several students nodded thoughtfully, however some, like a bushy haired girl and three boys standing off to the left, seemed quite sure of keeping their opinions based on those rumors. Alyssa inwardly sighed. She supposed she couldn't convince all of them.

"Hi Alyssa!"

She turned as a little voice in the back addressed her. She saw a flash of red hair and a hand waving at her and realized Susan Bones had come to Hogwarts. She grinned and waved back before floating after the other two ghosts into the Great Hall. However, she remained in the wall to listen in on the conversation of the newcomers to see which ones had not heeded her words.

"'It's perfectly all right no matter what house you end up in.' Pffft! I've never heard such a Hufflepuff thing in all my life! The entire house is a load of duffers!" A white-blonde boy mocked her, looking haughtily down his nose at the other students. "My father says all the other houses besides Slytherin are rubbish."

"Of course he'd say that, Malfoy," Scowled a redheaded freckled boy with a rather long nose. He looked to be related to the Weasleys. "With a father like yours. With a stick that far up his arse, he'd refuse to see anything in front of him unless it was held out to him on a silver platter. And you're worse for listening to him. You've probably got your head stuck so far up it's gotten in the abyss."

There were a few snickers as the Malfoy boy turned pink, "Don't you dare talk about my father like that, Weasley!" He spat out the name like mud from his mouth. He turned to a raven-haired boy next to Weasley, "Soon you'll find some families are better than others, Potter. Uncouth, hand me down robes, not knowing how to respect their betters," he dressed down Weasley who was turning redder by the second. "I can help you find other families that are actually worth your time."

He held out his hand to the boy, who by now Alyssa realized was Harry Potter. Harry regarded the hand coolly. "Ron's my friend, Malfoy. And I think I can tell the wrong sort of people for myself, thanks. You, however, act no better than my fat, Muggle cousin."

Malfoy looked insulted at being compared to a Muggle and opened his mouth to argue, but Professor McGonagall had already returned so he closed it and settled for glaring at Harry. Alyssa smiled to herself, glad Harry had stood up for himself, and floated over to the Hufflepuff table to go say hello to her friends.

When her fellow seventh year Hufflepuffs saw her, their eyes filled with tears, but she quickly assured them that her life as a ghost was turning out to be quite fun, joking that the only downside was that she'd never have her favorite apple turnovers ever again. Her best friend, Tess, tried to hug her despite knowing she would go right through her, and let the cold of Alyssa's transparent body ground her. She sat down at the open spot next to her friend, grasping her hand as best as she could (her hand went through her wrist) as the first years filed in.

It appeared that her kind words had comforted some of them, because they seemed not quite as nervous as previous years.

Dumbledore stepped up to the podium and said his usual start of term speech, with the addition of the fact that the third floor corridor was now out of bounds to anyone who did not wish to die a most painful death.

Alyssa frowned. She'd be checking into that later.

"And also, I would like to welcome a new ghost to the walls of Hogwarts, Miss Alyssa Clark." Alyssa floated to the front of the Hall next to Dumbledore and bowed before he continued, "I'm sure several of you heard of the attack on her neighborhood in June alongside the Bones family and may take comfort in knowing that while dead she is still here. Those of you who don't know her, Miss Clark is a seventh year Hufflepuff ghost and was a Prefect while alive."

Alyssa smiled at them all, "And just like before, I am here if any of you wish to talk. My door is always open." She floated back to her seat and rested her head on Tess's shoulder to listen to the sorting.

McGonagall took her place by the Sorting Hat as it gave its customary song and the sorting began.

"Abbott, Hannah!"

Hannah took a deep breath and walked shakily to the stool and sat down. She was there for only three seconds then-

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Alyssa clapped along with the rest of her house as Hannah joined them, Prefect Cedric Diggory clapping her supportively on the arm.

"Bones, Susan!"

Alyssa could feel herself vibrating with a mix of apprehension and excitement as her little friend stepped up to the Sorting Hat. She sat down on the stool, giving Alyssa a wink before the hat went down over her eyes. The hat considered her for a moment, then opened wide with a cry of-

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Alyssa made sure to clap extra loud for her as Susan looked back at Hannah and smiled encouragingly before joining the Gryffindors. Several more students were sorted. 'Granger, Hermione' went into Gryffindor to the clear dismay of one Ron Weasley, 'Longbottom, Neville' went into Gryffindor to his apparent surprise, 'Malfoy, Draco' was an instant Slytherin to the surprise of no one, 'Patil, Parvati' went into Gryffindor and her sister 'Patil Padma' joined the ranks of Ravenclaw where she smiled supportively at her sister across the hallway, while Parvati gave her an identical smile in return. And then came the name everyone in the hall seemed to be waiting for:

"Potter, Harry!"

Harry sat beneath the hat for the longest time yet until finally-

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindor table erupted. Cheers wrent the hall as other houses looked on disappointedly. The Weasley twins got up and started a jig singing, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"

When the hall finally settled down, the sorting continued with 'Boot, Terry' going into Ravenclaw, 'Smith, Zacharias' going into Slytherin to his utter disappointment and grumbling "shouldn't have listened to that ruddy ghost" the whole way, with 'Weasley, Ron' joining the Gryffindors, and finally 'Zambini, Blaze' joined the Ravenclaws with an impassive expression.

Dumbledore stepped up to the podium, "I have a few words to say to you: nitwit, oddment, blubber, tweak. Tuck in!"

There was scattered chuckling and calls of "hear hear" as the feast appeared before everyone.

Alyssa floated over to her little friend. "Hello Susan. I see you took my advice?"

Susan nodded, smiling from where she sat next to Hermione Granger, "Yeah! I really didn't expect to end up in Gryffindor, but Auntie Amelia will support it even if I didn't end up in Mum and Dad's house. I've been telling myself lately that if I'm the only one still alive, I need to do something with that life and help Auntie track down the rest of the Death Eaters when I get older."

Her chipper expression dimmed slightly at the mention of her parents. Alyssa gripped her shoulder bracingly; "I know they'll all be proud of you too no matter what, just as I am."

"You're sure?" Susan looked up uncertainly.

Alyssa shrugged, "Well, think about it. Would they support you or not?"

Susan thought for a moment before nodding. "Yep. They would support me just like Auntie Amelia." She turned back to the ghost, "But even though I'm in Gryffindor, can you still visit me?"

Alyssa smiled, "I can go anywhere in the castle that I like. I told you all back there that I had friends in every house. I'll be checking in on all the first years in all the houses during the first few weeks to help out anyone who's feeling homesick or gets lost. Hogwarts can be a bit of a maze. I'd love to come and talk with you any time you'd like."

Hermione Granger smiled at her as she scooped mashed potatoes onto her plate. "That's nice of you, er, Alyssa right?"

Alyssa nodded. "Yes. Thank you, Hermione."

Susan took a bite of her steak, "Well, it's the truth, Lizzy. You helped me get out of there! I'll always be grateful for that."

Alyssa smiled before turning to the pudgy boy next to Hermione, saying rather jokingly, "Neville, you all right over there?"

The boy seemed to be in an awed sort of shock. "Whatever dream I'm in right now, don't wake me up… I listened to your advice and let the hat put me where it said I would end up the best and I still got in Gryffindor! I can't believe I'm in Gryffindor!" He beamed around him, taking in the sight of red and gold as if it were pure heaven.

Alyssa chuckled, "I'm happy for you."

She noticed Hermione staring at her and tilted her head questioningly. Hermione's cheeks went a bit pink. "Um… this is a bit insensitive but… how did you get that wound on your neck?"

Alyssa's hand flew to her throat by habit and smiled placatingly, "It's perfectly all right to ask. Most people assume questioning ghosts about their deaths to be insensitive, but after a while, we just accept the fact. Anyway, the wound is from a well-aimed cutting curse when some bad men broke into my house. I just wasn't quick enough to dodge, I guess."

She shrugged it off like it wasn't a big deal so as not to worry her. She noticed Susan frowning sadly down at her carrots, but said nothing to draw attention to it.

"I'm half and half. Me dad's a Muggle, Mam's a witch." Seamus Finnigan was saying further down the table. "Pretty nasty shock for him when he found out." There was laughter around him as the children thought of the man's reaction.

Dean Thomas frowned. "Both my parents are Muggles. I must be so far behind everyone else in terms of magic…"

Alyssa floated over. "Actually, no matter if you are Pureblood, Half blood, or Muggleborn, most children start at the same level anyway, so there's no need to worry."

Dean heaved a sigh of relief. Harry looked rather relieved as well, but wasn't nearly as obvious about it. Nick joined her with a smile. "Getting to know the new first years, Mrs. Clark?"

Ron looked up from his chicken. "Hey, I know you! Fred and George mentioned you. You're Nearly Headless Nick!"

Nick looked affronted. "I prefer to go by Sir Nicholas de Mimsy if you don't mind."

Hermione joined the conversation, her face curious. "'Nearly Headless?' Why Nearly Headless? Your head looks fine to me."

Nick sighed. "Actually…"

He pulled hard on his hair, causing his head to fall sideways onto his shoulder. There were several cries of disgust as the students saw that he had indeed died by beheading but the executioner clearly hadn't done it right, with his head barely remaining attached to his neck by a small sliver of skin.

"Oi Nick! We're eating over here!" Fred or George Weasley, she couldn't figure out which, cried indignantly.

Alyssa scrunched her nose, having seen the stunt several times before but still no less disgusted by it. "Honestly Nick. It's dinnertime. People don't like to see that while eating."

Nick flipped his head back on where it quivered precariously for a moment, "My apologies. I have not eaten for hundreds of years. I merely forgot myself."

"Oh sure." One of the twins muttered. "He only forgets every once in a while-"

"Every start of term feast-"

"Every end of term feast-"

"Someone asks every year and he just can't resist showing off."

Nick looked insulted and floated off in a huff, giggles following in his wake.

When the feast ended, the first years began trailing after the Prefects. Knowing that out of all the houses, the Gryffindors were not given as much direction, Alyssa brought up the rear of the line of Gryffindors to give out directions to those too far away to hear the Prefect at the front. She pointed out the paintings that were good to ask for directions and which ones were not at all helpful (she glared at Sir Codagan when he tried to talk to Seamus), she helped pull Neville Longbottom's foot out of the trick stair, and she told the students where all the other common rooms were located so that they could meet up with all their friends that were outside of their own house. After the last of the students entered the portrait of the Fat Lady, Alyssa followed Susan upstairs to the girls' dormitories to see how she was settling in.

She phased through the door to find the girls sitting on their beds, unpacking their trunks. Parvati and Lavender were already whispering and giggling to one another, friends at first sight. Hermione had organized her books on the dormitory bookshelf and was contentedly reading A Standard Book of Spells Grade 1. Susan was browsing the bookshelf for something good to read.

"I'd recommend Potions." Alyssa remarked, sliding the book off the shelf and into Susan's hands. "Snape is rather strict on the Gryffindors, so the sooner you master it on your own, the better." Susan smiled and nodded in thanks before joining Hermione and striking up a small conversation on what spells the other girl had read about so far. Hermione's eyes sparked and began talking very fast, showing the different wand movements as she spoke.

Alyssa checked in on the Gryffindor boys next. Like Lavender and Parvati, Dean and Seamus had become fast friends and were talking about their favorite sports, comparing and contrasting football and Quidditch. Ron was chatting with Harry, munching on a Chocolate Frog while Harry lay on his back staring at the ceiling a benign smile on his face, blissful just at the thought that he was finally at Hogwarts. The only one who seemed out of place was Neville, who was quietly unpacking his trunk with his back to the others. Perhaps he was simply introverted. Either way, Alyssa resolved to swing by and check on him later. She popped into the common room to make sure the twins hadn't blown anything up yet before continuing on to check on the rest of the first years throughout the castle, giving in to the lifetime wish of many at Hogwarts to give Mrs. Norris a swift kick in the behind on the way to the Ravenclaw tower, smiling innocently at the angry hissing that followed her up the stairs.

8-8-8-8-8-8

When night fell, Alyssa returned at last to the Gryffindor common room. The common room was empty, with no one doing any late night studying what with it being the first day of school. She ascended the stairs, popping her head through the first year girl's dormitory door to make sure her little Susan was sleeping undisturbed. It was then that she remembered her previous mental note to check on Neville. She popped back out and turned to the other side of the tower.

She floated through the walls and into the first year boys' dormitory, and looked over by the window to see a boy sitting on the sill staring out at the sky.

"Neville?"

The boy turned round quickly, startled, but then relaxed. "Oh. Alyssa…"

Alyssa settled herself next to him on the sill. "Sorry for scaring you."

He shook his head. "It's ok."

He looked back out at the stars once more. She joined him in stargazing in the silence before asking, "Why you up?"

Neville drew his knees to his chest nervously, "I still can't believe it. I got into Gryffindor…." He chuckled sadly, "But just because I got in doesn't mean I belong. The other boys already have friends and I'm stuck all by myself like always. Again."

He sighed, burrowing deeper into his knees, only the hair on the top of his head left showing. "The hat must've been wrong. How else could I have gotten into Gryffindor without asking it to put me here? I'm scared by almost everything. Even when you snuck up on me just now…. I'm a pathetic coward, I'm fat and I'm a crybaby. My whole family thought I was a Squib for years before I showed any magic, I'm horrible at spells, I don't have any real friends, even though I meet them at every Pureblood gathering, they just put up with me-"

"I'm gonna just stop you right there, Nev." Alyssa floated in front of him and placing both hands on his shoulders bracingly, looking him in the eye imploringly, "The hat is never wrong. If you weren't a brave person deep inside, you wouldn't be here." She sat back down and looked out at the stars, finding the constellations she had learned in Astronomy. She ran a hand through his hair. "Maybe you just don't see it yet."

Neville barely smiled. "If I am brave deep down, it must be pretty deep in there. Gran never outright says it, but I know she's disappointed that I'm not as brave as my Dad. She compares me to him all the time."

Alyssa sighed. So many people placed unreasonable expectations on their children not knowing how much pressure those expectations truly were. She got up and placed her hand on his shoulder once more, "Chin up. Don't let other people's expectations of you rule your life. Just be yourself. And you never know, your big moment might be just around the corner." She drew him in for a quick hug. "Get some rest, ok?"

Neville looked like he might cry. He smiled and nodded, sliding to the floor and lay down in bed, falling asleep with a small smile on his face. Maybe this time, he had actually made a friend.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snape gets it, Ron teases Hermione, Trolls ensue

Alyssa watched in the corner of Dumbledore's office as the teachers had their start of term meeting over what would be discussed that year. Although she had been a prefect the year before and had always been one to listen to her superiors, she found herself tuning their voices out. After all, she was dead and since she was no longer a student, their words did not apply to her so much anymore. Plus, Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall were arguing again.

Dumbledore peered at her through his half moon spectacles, "Miss Clark?"

Alyssa quickly adopted an impressive mask of attention as she realized that Snape and McGonagall had finally fallen silent. "Yes Headmaster?"

"I've heard quite a few of the younger years talking about how you helped them through their fears. Good work."

She lowered her head in a short bow, "Thank you Professor."

"I recommend you continue to keep an eye on Gryffindor house as well as the rest. There are many who end up hiding their fears until they cannot bear it anymore because Gryffindor is known for bravery. Many of them forget the meaning of bravery is not the absence of that fear. In Ravenclaw, they can hide their confusion until it drowns them. Hufflepuffs and Slytherins hide their pain. You know what to do."

She nodded.

Then the wrinkled Headmaster's lips perked in a smile as his eyes twinkled merrily. "Also, if you could keep an eye out for our young Mr. Potter…"

Alyssa smiled, "I'll keep an eye on him, Headmaster."

When they wrapped up the meeting, Professor Sprout gave her a sad smile. "You would have been Head Girl this year had things not gone so horribly wrong for you that night. I'm sorry."

Alyssa gave her favorite Professor a hug. "There's nothing to forgive. I'm sure the current Head Girl is just as deserving of the title as I would have been."

8-8-8-8-8-8

Since Harry Potter had many classes with Susan, it was quite easy to keep an eye on him. He seemed rather overwhelmed by the attention and stares of his classmates and many times looked quite like he'd wish to disappear. Alyssa made a mental note of the students eyeing him in passing so she could bring that fact up to them later as she floated down the hall next to Susan.

Susan was a natural in Charms and Transfiguration as well as Herbology. The only classes where she struggled were History of Magic and Potions, the former only because it was a struggle to remain awake, but then again, that applied to nearly the entirety of the class anyway.

Professor Snape continued to be a biased git in class like he always had been, taking about twenty points from Gryffindor by the end of the period and absolutely none from Slytherin. But that was not what earned him Alyssa's ire. No, the man had decided to single out Harry for no reason whatsoever and give him a pop quiz, using information that was not supposed to be covered until third year in order to humiliate him. The man absolutely abhorred the boy from the moment he opened the door, and she was bound and determined to know why. Harry had been excited to join Potions, coming through the door with a hopeful smile on his face. Now he left with his head held low to hide his angry expression behind his fringe.

Alyssa stayed behind as the other children filled out and distinctly heard Ron call Snape something under his breath that he definitely wouldn't say in front of his mother.

"Honestly Ronald! He's a Professor! He deserves your respect!" Hermione admonished him, her nose in the air.

"He'll only get my respect when he earns it." Harry muttered under his breath so the bossy girl wouldn't hear. Susan joined in, adding her assent. Alyssa entirely agreed. This bitter man needed to be taught a lesson.

She zoomed up to the front of the desk, hands on her hips and eyes blazing dangerously, "Severus Snape, you explain that horrid behavior now or I shall be forced to inform the Headmaster of unfair, biased treatment and bullying."

Snape inspected her translucent form from the end of his nose with his usual sneer. "And on what grounds, Miss Clark? The boy was clearly disrespecting his betters by not listening in class and doodling in his notebook. Lazy and arrogant just like his father…. Needed to be taught a lesson-"

"I saw absolutely no lesson that needed learning, Professor." She spat out the last word like he was a rather disgusting bit of chewing gum that had gotten stuck to the bottom of her trainers. "I've kept a watchful eye on him all day and see absolutely none of those traits that you so claim. The lad is attentive in class and is almost painfully polite to everyone around him."

Snape huffed, his eyes flicking to the ceiling in an eye roll so quick she almost missed it. She pulled in on her magic before slamming her hands onto the desk, sending a large pile of parchment and a bottle of ink crashing to the floor. "Don't roll your eyes at me, Severus Snape!"

By this point, Alyssa became partially aware of students stopping in the hallway to listen near the open doorway as she chewed into the Professor but paid them no mind. He had this coming to him for years. He had sent far too many students into her arms crying that the dungeon bat had taken too many points, or failed them in class when they clearly had brewed a decent potion. He had caused far too many students to fail to get into the Auror and Healer field because they couldn't get their Potions OWLs, not just the raven-haired boy behind her currently poking his head nervously around the doorway. This was no longer just about Harry. This was about the student body as a whole, so the more people who heard this argument the better.

"Do you know how excited he was walking into your classroom?" She shook her finger at him in a manner that would have made Molly Weasley proud. "Do you know the state that he left it?"

"Excited to prank me or mock me no doubt." He dismissed. "Needed to be brought down a peg in order to know how he must act in school."

"NO!" Alyssa moaned, the echoing quality of her voice increasing to an eerie quality as she grew angrier. "He was excited to learn! And now he will never feel welcome or safe in your classroom ever again, just as all the other non-Slytherin students do when they leave their first potions class!" Alyssa strode to his desk and slammed her hands down on it, her face only a foot from his. "And if you must know, he wasn't doodling, he was writing down every word you said just like you told every student to do once you finished your pathetic tirade anyway!" Alyssa screamed, her ghostly voice reverberating around the classroom and echoing off the walls like a Banshee. She bared her teeth at him, prodding the point of her wand into his chest. "Never! Ever! Blame the child for the sins of the father! Harry Potter could never be James Potter! He. Is. His. Own. Person! Have you no shame?"

Snape met her gaze stonily without saying a word.

"ARG!" Alyssa threw up her arms in frustration before striding to the door, not noticing that the large stack of parchment in the corner of the room had blown over and strewn all over the floor from her ghostly rage. "If I hear that you have bullied a student to tears again by the end of the day, so help me God, I will send both James Lily Potter's ghosts upon you and set you right!"

She stormed out of the room, sending shivers down the spines of the large crowd outside the door as she passed through them. Had she remained in the room, she would not have missed the agonized look on Snape's paling face as she left.

At lunch, Alyssa floated into the Great Hall and settled herself next to Susan, as was customary at this point, with a satisfied smirk. Susan's face slowly turned into a mischievous grin. "What did you do?"

Alyssa smiled benignly down at her as the students around them began leaning in close in interest. "Oh nothing. Just something I've been longing to do for years."

The Weasley twins shot her identical Cheshire grins as they slid onto a bench further down the table, "Yeah! You should've heard her! She tore into that greasy bat even better than Mum does with us!" They howled with laughter, "He's had it coming for ages!"

Angelina Johnson shot them a panicked look, putting a finger to her lips, "Shhhh! I think he heard you."

Alyssa looked up at the head table and sure enough, Snape's eyes were burning holes into the backs of the twins' heads. He seemed to sense her gaze, because he turned to look at her. She smiled and waved innocently and he huffed and returned to his shepherd's pie. Alyssa rolled her eyes and stuck her middle finger in the air while his back was turned before slipping her hands back in her pockets before he could see, sending those around her into poorly stifled giggles.

"Come on Alyssa!" A fourth year whisper shouted, "Don't spare us the details! We wanna know!"

Alyssa was glad to comply and leaned in conspiratorially and told the whole story to the entire Gryffindor house who were all listening with rapt attention. By the end of the day, there was not a single student in Hogwarts who hadn't heard how Snape had gotten his verbal comeuppance.

8-8-8-8-8

By the time October rolled around, every first year had finally settled into their own friend groups. Lavender and Parvati were hardly ever seen out of each other's company, the same could be said for Dean and Seamus. Hannah, Justin, and Ernie were often seen walking through the halls together. Neville had struck up a timid friendship with Harry and Ron that was slowly blossoming, but also hung out with Hannah and Susan. Susan had grown close with Harry and Ron over the course of the past few months, as well as with Hermione, Neville, and many outside her house. She was a very smart and likeable person, so it came as no surprise that she had settled in so easily. But despite this having many friends, she was still most often seen walking side-by-side through the halls of Hogwarts with Harry, Ron, and Neville.

That morning, Alyssa was reading an advanced Transfiguration book that had fallen off the shelf in the girl's dormitory when an owl came swooping in. This came as no surprise to any of the girls as today was Susan's birthday. Susan immediately looked up from the book Hermione had gifted her when she heard the familiar screech of her Auntie Amelia's owl. She dashed to the window and let the owl in and it soared gracefully into the room, alighting primly atop Susan's bedpost before holding out its leg to be relieved of its burden. Susan delicately removed the small package and attached letter, opening it and reading it to herself quietly. A smile formed on her face as she read.

Suddenly, a haunting yet beautiful tune began to emanate from within the brown paper package. It was soothing and sweet and could easily have been a lullaby if it weren't so sad.

Parvati and Lavender scooted closer excitedly on Susan's bed, "Ooooo it sounds so pretty!" Lavender squealed, "Hurry Susie! Open it!"

Susan laughed and rolled her eyes, "I thought I told you not to call me Susie."

"But it's cute!" The girl pouted as Susan opened the present.

A beautifully carved mahogany music box fell into her lap. It had a tiny model of a man and woman in the midst of a ballroom dance perched on top where it rotated slowly on its axis. The woman's dress was painted in delicate hues of red and orange, mingling together like a sunset. The man was smiling down at her in dark dress robes that were deep navy blue and sparkled like a cloudless night sky. Susan's breath caught as she looked at the two and melancholy tears began to form in her eyes as Alyssa slowly realized that the figures were painted in the likeness of Susan's parents.

The girls were silent as a tear escaped and trickled down. Then Susan sat up and smiled, pulling herself together. "It's a wonderful gift! I don't think I will be going anywhere without it in my pocket for a while." She placed it on her bedside table and watched the figures spin with a far-off gaze.

Hermione looked at her questioningly as the music box continued to play, "But why did it suddenly start playing like that?" She inspected the music box more closely for a second, "And there's nothing here to wind it either! How does it work?"

Susan grinned as she saw the inquisitive spark in Hermione's eyes and answered, "It's spelled to play when it senses love in the room. It doesn't matter what kind of love it is, be it friendship, family, or that of lovers, the music box will play."

Parvati pressed her hand to her heart as Lavender squealed again. "Aw, that's so sweet."

"That's why it started playing when you smiled after reading your Aunt's letter." Hermione concluded, eyeing the gift with respect. "It truly is a magnificent feat of magic."

That day, Susan was true to her word and took the little box with her everywhere. The box was first heard tinkling from within her cloak pocket in the Great Hall as the hundreds of students greeted one another, the many friendships spurring the little figures to spin. The box remained quiet when classes started, however. Perhaps professional love for one's students didn't count to the box. The fact that the music box was dead quiet in Potions came as surprise to no one regardless.

It did start to slowly play as Ron started playfully telling tales to Harry and Neville in hushed tones to keep from getting bored in History of Magic. Professor Binns continued the lecture unaware of the gentle music. Fred and George swore on good authority that the man was nearly deaf. When asked later that evening, their faces split into identical Cheshire grins as they innocently mentioned how a Filibuster Firework somehow ended up in a student's bag. Binn's only reaction had been to look slowly up from his lecture and ask in his monotone echoing voice, "Did someone say something?" only to be faced with an entire classroom of students trying to keep from laughing as the remainders of the firework sputtered merrily in the ceiling beams, unnoticed.

The table erupted in laughter as Gred and Forge bowed to their fellow Gryffindors. That story had always been a hit.

"I remember that one potion class last year-" Fred said, his hand on his chin.

"The one where the most creative potion would get points?" George clarified

"The same."

"You think that lesson's rigged?"

"Simply preposterous, Gred."

"Slytherin always seems to win-"

"I wonder why?"

"We decided to brew Hair Tonic."

"Figured maybe then Snape might take a hint."

"I think he did, don't you?"

"Indeed brother. Thirty points from Gryffindor-

"-and detention for a month."

"Totally worth it though."

That night, when all the other girls went to bed, Susan flipped through her photo album, letting her love for her parents fill her. The music box began its slow chime and she slid out of bed, beckoning Alyssa close and held out her arms. She brushed the ghost's arm with her fingers, stopping just before they went through, holding the air. Then she stood up on her toes and slowly began to step about the room, mimicking the figures atop the box and bringing Alyssa in a slow partner dance like two ghostly ballerinas.

8-8-8-8-8-8-8

The next day began as normal. Alyssa followed Susan downstairs with her friends as they chatted about the ay before and Susan thanked each of them for the birthday presents. Alyssa then went about her daily routine of popping in on classes after Susan's group went to morning lessons. She barely concealed her laugher as a third year boy got the Color Changing spell mixed up with the Multiplying spell during Transfiguration, causing his hedgehog to turn into a very prickly pile of ten hedgehogs that overflowed into his lap, instead of turning it blue. She corrected him on the spell and offered the pronunciation of the right one while Professor McGonagall swept by and vanished the spiny puff balls that had gotten their spines stuck in the unfortunate boy's shirt and pant legs.

When she floated through the walls of the Charms classroom to see how Harry, Ron, Neville, and Susan were doing, she could see that the minute professor was giving a lecture on the Levitation spell.

"-and wand movement is a swish and flick like so." Professor Flitwick swished his wand through the air as the students watched. "Follow along so you can get the movement right before adding the words."

As the students began practicing, Alyssa floated down beside Flitwick. "Good morning, Professor."

"Good morning Miss Clark!" squeaked the professor. "How are our students doing today?"

"I've checked in all the classrooms and everyone seems to be doing quite well so far this year." Alyssa smiled, watching the students wave their wands about. She giggled when Ron waved his wand a little too jerkily and poked Neville in the eye, causing him to begin apologizing profusely. "Although when I came into Herbology, a Slytherin second year hadn't put on her earmuffs tightly enough while potting Mandrake seedlings and, well…."

Professor Flitwick chuckled. "Oh dear."

By this time, many of the students had stopped and were now waiting for instruction.

"The charm is as follows: Wingardium Leviosa. Be sure to enunciate and use a gentle wrist movement. We want to cast spells, not accidentally throw our wands across the room."

Alyssa floated to a spot behind Harry, Ron, Neville, Hermione, and Seamus to watch their progress.

"Wingardium Levposta!" Ron was saying. He began flicking his wand more vigorously when it didn't work. Neville edged away a little to avoid being poked again. Alyssa was about to correct him, but Hermione got there first. "No stop it! You're going to take Neville's eyes out."

Ron winced at Neville apologetically; the other boy quickly assuring him it was fine.

"And anyway, you're saying it wrong." She continued. "It's Wingardium Leviosa not Wingardium Leviposta. Make sure to make the 'gar' longer too."

Alyssa could see that Hermione was just trying to help, but the tone that she used was a bit too bossy for most to take as one who was merely giving constructive criticism, so it was no surprise when Ron shot back that she was a no-it-all and to "try it yourself if you're so clever."

Of course, the girl got it on her first try, only fueling the redhead's anger.

"Wingardleviosa… Wingardleviosa!" Seamus tried, clearly having not listened to a word Hermione had just said.

Knowing what would happen next, Alyssa shouted, "Wait-!"

BOOM!

Seamus coughed, black in the face, as his feather and desk were reduced to cinders.

"I-I think we're going to need another feather over here Professor." Harry managed to stammer out, a shell-shocked expression on his face, soot marking his left cheek. Alyssa made sure to cast a quick Aguamenti and Reparo on his desk as the Ravenclaw half of the class and part of the Gryffindors began to laugh at the two soot-covered boys.

8-8-8-8-8

Alyssa floated behind the group as they went towards the Great Hall.

"It's Leviooooosa not Leviposa." Ron mocked in a high voice as they walked down to lunch, "Honestly! I would've figured it out on my own eventually without her bossing me around!"

"Well at least you didn't get laughed at after getting covered in soot." Harry shot back darkly. Seamus walked by with his hair still smoking and Ron snorted, causing Neville to elbow him in the ribs.

"I'm pretty sure that was just all in good fun, Harry. They weren't really mocking you." Susan reassured him.

"-She's a nightmare, that one is!" Ron went on. "No wonder she hasn't found any friends!"

There was a quiet sob behind them and a brown blur darted past and down the hall.

"I think she heard you." Harry said sadly.

Susan rounded on the other boy. "Ron! That was horribly mean! See? You made her cry!" She crossed her arms and huffed out an angry breath, "And anyway, she's got friends! I hang out with her in the library all the time! You better apologize to her by the end of the day!"

Ron looked thoroughly abashed. "Sorry…"

Susan sighed. "It's not me you should be saying sorry to." She set the strap of her bag more comfortably on her shoulder before reiterating. "So you better apologize to her by the end of the day, got it?"

"Yes mum." Ron muttered.

Susan growled and flicked his forehead before stalking away to talk with Hannah instead.

Ron scowled. "Sometimes she reminds me of Granger. And not in a good way either."

Harry shrugged. "Say what you want. I like her. Plus, Hermione might turn out to be nice if you just give her a chance."

Ron scoffed. "Her? No way!"

Harry looked confused. "But you just told Susan you would apologize to her later."

Ron continued walking without looking back. "I obviously told her that in order to get her off my case, mate. I'm not going within ten feet of that no-it-all unless absolutely necessary."

Harry smirked. "Well, good luck in Potions later then, because I'm pretty sure Susan's going to partner up with Neville and now you're without a partner."

Ron snorted. "Yeah, well Neville needs all the help he can get in that department. He melted the cauldron that first class, remember?"

Neville gave him a look.

"-No offence there mate." The redhead added quickly.

He shrugged. "It's fine. Professor Snape scares me, so it's hard for me to think straight with your worst nightmare breathing down your neck."

Ron winced. "Ouch, sorry Nev. I didn't know you were that scared of him. Pretty much everyone is, but damn you have it bad."

Neville smiled dreamily, the rest of the sentence barely registering in his ears. It was the first time anyone had ever given him a nickname. "Mm hmm."

8-8-8-8-8-8

When dinner rolled around, the Halloween feast was in full swing. Ron was stuffing his face with apple turnovers with Alyssa looking longingly over his shoulder, hoping to somehow absorb the taste of her favorite dessert through some form of osmosis, when Harry looked up. "Hey, have you guys seen Hermione? I haven't seen her at all since Charms. I don't think she even went to Transfiguration."

"I heard from Parvati that she wouldn't come out of the girl's bathroom." Neville said, looking at Ron pointedly as he added. "She's been in there all day, crying."

Ron set down his goblet of Pumpkin Juice looking guilty.

Susan gave him a glare from across the table that would've made Molly Weasley proud. "I told you to apologize to her. When were you planning on doing that?"

Ron began to look very small in his seat.

Alyssa had been very close to admonishing the boy herself, but decided that Susan had that handled on her own. She was just about to sweep out of the hall to go check on Hermione when-

"TROLL! TROLL IN THE DUNGEON!"

Professor Quirrell came dashing through the double doors, his turban all askew, his eyes wide and frantic.

"T-Troll in the dungeons…" He puffed, reaching the head table and grasping the edge of it for support, his already pale face going grey. "Thought you ought to know…"

And with that, he crumpled to the floor in a dead faint.

The Hall immediately descended into pandemonium as frightened children began screaming and running for the doors. Malfoy looked like he might have wet himself.

Dumbledore set off several fireworks for silence. "Prefects, please lead the students back to the dormitories. Teachers, please follow me to the dungeons."

Alyssa's eyes widened in shock at Dumbledore as the Slytherins began to follow their Prefects. "Headmaster wait! Slytherin's common room is in the dungeons!"

Dumbledore's eyes widened marginally, betraying his alarm at his grave mistake, and inclined his head. "Indeed Miss Clark, my apologies for forgetting. Slytherin house, please remain in the Great Hall. All Slytherin Prefects watch the doors after everyone has left to make sure the Troll does not get in should it choose to change direction."

Alyssa brought up the rear of the sea of students to make sure none wandered off, practically steaming. How could Dumbledore forget such a crucial thing? Slytherin house makes up a quarter of the student body! If I hadn't caught the mistake, they might have been in great danger. Perhaps like Muggles, Dumbledore forgets things now because he's getting old. Alyssa continued to mull over the thought, trying to reassure herself but vowing to take Dumbledore's decisions with a grain of salt from now on as students filed out of the Great Hall.

"But who would let a Troll in?" Neville asked Hannah as the Hufflepuff passed him.

She shrugged her head in the direction of two distinct heads of red hair. "Probably the twins. Trolls aren't very bright so they probably did it as a Halloween prank."

"Excuse us Miss Abbot but-" Fred peered over his shoulder.

"-there is a big difference between pranks-" George continued.

"-and child endangerment." They finished, insulted.

All of a sudden, Harry came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the hallway, causing Ron to bump into him and Neville to stumble on Ron's robes and crash to the floor.

"Oi!" Ron yelled, "What-"

"Hermione!" Harry cried. "She doesn't know the Troll got in!"

Susan helped Neville to his feet as a horrified look came across all their faces. "What do we do?"

"Get her out of there obviously!" Harry yelled, already pelting down the hallway towards the girl's bathroom. The rest shared a collected look before following him as the rest of the Gryffindors continued up the staircase without realizing that four of their number were missing.

Alyssa floated worriedly behind them, her silvery body bobbing along the deserted corridor like some bizarre lantern. "We really shouldn't be heading away from the group like this, guys. If we end up running into the Troll, I can't do anything to help! I'm a ghost!"

Neville shivered nervously, but kept running after Harry all the same, sending him a questioning look.

Susan looked behind her at Alyssa comfortingly, "Then if we find it by mistake, we run like hell and you find a teacher to get us. But we're not leaving Hermione behind."

Alyssa sighed. "There's no talking you lot out of this, is there?"

"Nope." The quartet responded in unison.

Reluctantly, she nodded. "I'll go get a teacher. Good luck. I love all of you, so for your sakes I don't want you all to be joining me in haunting the hallways." With that she turned about and floated through the floor down towards the dungeons.

8-8-8-8-8

Alyssa floated back towards the bathroom after alerting the Professors just in time to hear a resounding THUNK as the Troll's club came crashing down onto its head. She stood in the doorway looking out over the group. Harry and Susan were standing in front of Hermione to make sure she didn't get hurt, Neville, who had been on the Troll's shoulders trying to distract it, barely managed to keep from getting squashed as both he and the beast came tumbling to the floor, and Ron had his wand aloft.

Alyssa sighed with relief. "Twenty points to Gryffindor for a well executed Wingardium Leviosa, but five points from Gryffindor for scaring me."

The five students jumped in unison, not realizing she had entered the room. Alyssa chuckled at their reaction, raising her hands reassuringly. "I will try to lessen the blow from Professor Snape, but if any other teachers take points for putting yourselves in danger, I won't stop them. You scared me."

Ron groaned. "Oh come off it!"

Susan shrugged. "Well, we did break the rules by going off by ourselves. She is- well, was, a prefect, she's not supposed to encourage that kind of behavior."

Ron sighed, "Damn. I hope McGonagall doesn't write home to our parents about this. Mum would kill me."

As if on cue, Professors Snape, Quirrell, and McGonagall came bursting through the door. Upon seeing the sight before him, Quirrell moaned softly and sat down on one of the toilets that had not been demolished. McGonagall clutched at her chest in alarm and Snape stared at the downed Troll in astonishment.

"Oh-oh Merlin…" McGonagall murmured. "Thank goodness you five are all right. I thought we would not arrive in time." She then took a deep breath and drew herself up. "However, running off like that was very irresponsible of you. Explain yourselves."

The five children told their tale, with Hermione telling the truth and McGonagall glaring at Ron and opening her mouth to give detention, but Hermione quickly broke in and told her she forgave him because he saved her life. Harry and Neville had tried to distract the beast by throwing wood and bits of broken pipe and porcelain, Susan had thrust herself in front of Hermione to keep her from harm, and Ron managed to master the Levitation spell just in time to knock the beast out before it could hit either of the girls.

In the end, McGonagall only gave them five points each for sheer dumb luck and took ten for deliberately placing themselves in such a dangerous situation. But the loss of points didn't matter to the children at all. The four friends had become five, and it was quite clear to Alyssa that they were going to hold fast to that friendship and never let go.


End file.
